The present invention relates generally to household trash container apparatus and more particularly to household trash container apparatus having a removable inner lining.
The use of household trash containers for temporarily containing trash and the like and the use of removable lining materials for keeping the interior of the outer trash container relatively clean and sanitary is well known in the art. One type of trash container lining in widespread use is an oversized plastic bag member that may be placed within the cavity of the trash container. Plastic liners of this type are generally of sufficient length to allow the outer peripheral edge of the liner to be folded back over the outer periphery of the trash receptacle for the purpose of providing vertical support to the walls of the liner and thereby preventing the liner from slipping down into the container cavity. Another commonly used liner for trash containers is a paper grocery bag of a size approximating the size of the trash container cavity. Although a paper grocery bag is generally of insufficient length to be folded back over the upper edges of a conventionally sized kitchen trash container, the structural rigidity of the paper is generally sufficient to maintain the paper bag in an upright position within the inner cavity. The outer walls of the trash container in both cases provides lateral support for the inner liner preventing rupture and tearing thereof from various stress forces generated by the weight of the material therein. The advantage of the plastic liners over the paper bags has been that plastic liners are generally stronger and impervious to fluids and may thus be removed from the household trash container and carried directly to an outdoor trash receptacle without tearing or rupture. The advantage of paper grocery bags has been that they are generally free recycleable material which may be used at no cost to the homeowner.
It has recently become a custom of many grocery store chains to switch from paper grocery bags to plastic grocery bags of approximately the same size as the paper bags being replaced. The new plastic grocery bags have two cutout portions in the lateral sides of the bag in addition to the opening at the top of the bag which provide two carrying straps which may be placed together and held by one hand to enable easy transportation of the groceries contained in the bag. However, prior to the present invention, the plastic grocery bags were unusable as trash container liners since plastic material does not have sufficient structural integrity to maintain the plastic bag in an upright position within the container and the plastic grocery bags do not have sufficient length to allow folding over the upper edge of the trash receptacle.
A need exists for a trash container capable of supporting a plastic grocery bag or the like therein. A further need exists for an apparatus which may be retrofit on existing trash containers for the purpose of adapting them for use with plastic grocery bags and the like.